Lebanon

After all, despite practising a faith that is an offshoot of Shiite Islam, the Druze do not worship at mosques, and the building strays far from the traditional rendering of a Muslim prayer house. But the Amir Shakib Arslan mosque is intended to make visitors reflect on religion and modernity …

AL KHARQANIYAH, EGYPT // There is an unlikely industry thriving in a village north of Cairo: the making of mannequins. The use of mannequins in Egypt dates back to the early years of the last century, when department stores imported them to display western attire sold to expatriates and wealthy …

GAZA CITY // Palestinian officials say an Israeli airstrike has killed two Gaza residents in a smuggling tunnel along the border with Egypt. Health ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Kidra says Thursday’s pre-dawn airstrike wounded five others. The Israeli military had no immediate comment. But on Wednesday the military said its missile …

GENEVA // The UN on Wednesday appealed for US$2.1 billion (Dh7.7bn) to provide food and other life-saving assistance to 12 million people in Yemen who face the threat of famine after two years of war. “The situation in Yemen is catastrophic and rapidly deteriorating,” Jamie McGoldrick, UN humanitarian coordinator in …

JERUSALEM // Rights organisations in Israel on Tuesday readied for a court battle against a new law that legalises seizure of Palestinian private property amid a wave of international criticism over the unprecedented measure. The Arab minority rights NGO Adalah, the liberal Peace Now movement and the Association for Civil …

Palestinians run for cover as smoke rises following an Israeli air strike on a Hamas post, in the northern Gaza Strip. Israel struck a number of Hamas positions in Gaza after a ‘projectile’ fired from the Palestinian enclave crashed in a border area, the Israeli army said. AFP Men carrying …

In some parts of the region the surprise victory was welcomed with calls for Trump to take action, in others it sparked alarm. But it was unclear what impact Trump’s isolationist views would have on US engagements in the Middle East, adding nore confusion to an already volatile region. – …

A look at the future of Lebanese winemaking. From Batroun in the north of Lebanon it is an uphill drive of about 35 minutes to reach Nehla, a typical Lebanese mountain village at an altitude of 950m. It was in this little lost corner of the world …

Abu Shadi stood in front of the Ras Al Aamood checkpoint with a blanket around his shoulders. He looked with tears in his eyes at the then rebel-held Barada valley from where he had just walked. Behind him was a blue ceramic wall with portraits of Bashar Al Assad and …